Improvement in railway switches



1. & KHOLLEN.

improvement in Railway-Switches.

No. 130,221. Patented Aug 6,1872.

flaw/dam PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN HOLDEN AND ROBERT HOLLEN, OF ALLEMANS, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN RAILWAV SWITCHES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 130,221, dated August 6, 1872.

Specification describing a certain Improvement in Railroad Switches, invented by JOHN HOLLEN and ROBERT HOLLEN, residing in Allemans, county of Glearlield and State of Pennsylvania.

In the annexed drawing, Figure 1 represents a plan view of our improved railroad switch, and Fig. 2 a transverse vertical section through the dotted lines as w of Fig. 1.

Similar letters of reference in both figures are used in the designation of corresponding parts.

This invention relates to an improvement in railroad switches, which is particularly designed for dispensing with the frog ordinarily made use of in the switching of cars from one track to another; and it consists of the use with the rails of two intersecting railroad tracks of a movable section of track and a movable rail having an arm fastened thereto at an acute angle with itself, the said parts being operated in any suitable manner, and by means hereinafter described, or otherwise.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use our invention, we will proceed to describe it. A

In the accompanying drawing, A A refer to two intersecting railroad tracks. The section A of the straight track A is susceptible of lateral movement at that end thereof which abuts against the said track A, and slides back and forth upon its tie a, while its rails are also connected and held together by means of a tie, a which is guided and permitted to slide within a staple or between the tie a and a bar of metal, a with its upper portion overhanging the tie a. (See Fig. 1.) A stop is placed at a point opposite and within such a distance of each end of the sliding tie a as to limit its movement, whereby the movable track A will be prevented from being thrown out of line with the two intersecting tracks A A as it is switched from one to the other. The end of one of the rails of that part of the track A which intersects with the track A is constructed with an arm, a located at an acute angle thereto, or in such a manner as that, when the movable end of the section A of the track A is moved in a line with the curvilinear track A it will be in a line with the rail of the latter, which intersects the straight track, thus dispensing with the frog ordinarily used for the connecting of the two I tracks at this juncture, which has been found to be unsafe in its use. The end of the rail carrying the arm a is susceptible of lateral movement, whereby the same can be shifted from one rail to another. B B refer to two rods, the former being attached to the tie a 'are connected together by a rod, D. This lever, when operated, will perform the office of switching the rails one from the other.

Having described our invention, what we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patcut, is

1. The movable rail of the track A with the arm or branch rail a, constructed and arranged for operation substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. In combination with the intersecting rails of the tracks A A the movable rail with the arm or branch rail a substantially as and for the purpose set fort 3. Tracks or rails A a A A bars B B, lever 0, arm 0, and rod D, all combined and arranged substantially as and for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto signed our names this 8th day of June, A. D. 1872, in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN HOLLEN. ROBERT HOLLEN. Witnesses:

E. W. LOUDER, JosEPH BARDIN. 

